I’m a native of San Francisco (yes, I was born here).
I’m a journalist (SF Chronicle, KQED, SF Examiner, SF Weekly, and more), copywriter (Samsung, SF Ballet), and copy editor (look at “Journalism” at the top of this page).
I’m an actor / writer/ director / producer (look at the links at the bottom of this page).
I love using my manual typewriter (yes, the one you see below).
I do not have a Facebook (anymore), Twitter (ditto), TikTok (ever), and I can’t remember the last time I logged into my Tumblr.
I have never been on Instagram, and I never will – Flickr for life! (see the right side of this page)
I exercise out of joy.
I think the greatest song ever is Lauryn Hill’s “Everything is Everything”.
I’m a Black man whose life matters.
I love to cook.
I love Shakespeare and will not rest until everyone sees the parallels between Richard III and Scarface.
I love gangsta rap and classical opera with equal affinity.
I’d love to shoot a film on 70mm.
I can dig it.
The Thinking Man's Idiot (Charles Lewis III) 
Hi there!
I just wanted to say that I read your review on Macbitch, and I really, really loved all the things you had to say. It was an awesome and critical analysis of the work. Thank you for your words!
LikeLike
you’re also a has-was and lost fans permanently because you decided to shoot off your stupid pie-hole about our President. We used a bonfire of your half-assly written books to cook a celebratory bbq for having a qualified President. Go away ..shooo
LikeLike
Dear Readers:
If the above comment left you confused (it certainly did for me, especially the term “has-was”), I think the person who left it was under the impression that I was this guy.
I can’t speak for that dude as I haven’t written a book (yet), but my pie-hole is wide open. Besides, I get a chuckle from comments by random internet trolls who brag about burning books. Just like Nazis. 🔥📖
How proud the above commenter must be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wasn’t a term, it’s a phrase. There’s a chasm of difference. Seems you confuse easily so at least you’re honest about something.
LikeLike
🤔 I’m guessing, Anonymous Commenter, that you’re alluding to my response to “has-was”? Merriam-Webster defines “term” as “
1 – a word or phrase that has an exact meaning
2 – the particular kinds of words used to describe someone or something”.
But… given your comment, I’m guessing you get confused quite often. You should look into that, sweetheart… especially if the only reason you commented was to defend an asinine (and also anonymous) commenter who confuses me with other people and advocates burning 📚.
How proud you must be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Mom was into theatre in her younger days but I grew up in a very different environment.
Hopefully I’ll learn a thing or two from this site :)
LikeLike
Hey Man!! Come out and see “Memphis!” at Berkeley Playhouse!! We would look to hear your take on it!!!
LikeLike
I would love to, I really would – we’re 3 months into 2020 and I haven’t been to the Playhouse yet.
But… between all the other shows I’m scheduled to see and a piece I’m writing for the East Bay Express, I’m afraid I won’t have the time before the show closes. Boo-urns.
LikeLike
🤔 I honestly have no idea what the hell any of that word-vomit meant, let alone how it refers to anything I wrote, so replying to it would be a moot point.
LikeLike
So… you both just randomly pick people to ramble “Get off my lawn” at? And neither of you has told me what I’ve written that has you so hot ‘n bothered?
These grammatically-lazy rants of yours make less and less sense as they multiply.
LikeLike
Hi Charles, I’d love to talk to you about a freelance writing opportunity. I’ve been hired by the Bay City News Foundation for the summer to expand the arts & entertainment and history coverage on the Local News Matters site. Would you be interested in writing for this online publication? My email is chrysalisa @ gmail dot com. ~ Lisa Hix
LikeLike
You also mute people who disagree with you on medium because your arguments are so weak!! Shame as you consider yourself liberal
LikeLike
No, I mute people (regardless of format) who do nothing but anonymously post racist content as a reflection of their own insecurity – an insecurity so prominent that they jump off Medium and run to a person’s personal site just to continue their rambling.
Fortunately for me, every format I use comes with the ability to block such cowards as they impotently shout into the aether. Ta, troll. 🖕🏿
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jesus, man, have some integrity. Blocking and muting someone is the same as censorship. You obviously have some common sense and maybe even integrity, but what you lack is a character. Learn to respect the opinions of your peers, especially those who are able to change something. Respect is a challenge, not a right.
LikeLike
🤔 “Censorship”? …reeeeeeally, Anonymous-Inner-Sunset-District-Troll?
Was I granted some power – government or otherwise – that allows me to negate the word of those with whom I disagree? Am I able to stop them from expressing their opinion literally anywhere else in the world? Have I come into their homes, taken their 💻 and 📱, destroyed all their writing materials, and cut out their tongues so as to assure they never speak out again?
No, no, and no. I neither have the ability to censor anyone, nor have I ever done so. What I do have is an incredibly low tolerance for people whose only response to facts is to be racist, homophobic, misogynist, etc. I don’t put up with them any more than I’d willingly eat something unhealthy.
Blocking trolls (like you) is the same cutting tooth-rotting junk food out of my diet: it makes me a better, healthier person. For an anonymous troll like you to suggest I tolerate bigoted abuse “just because” says a lot (none of it good) about your poor grasp of “debate” vs. “sadism”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Charles, I read and re-read your ‘Language of the Unheard’ article several times in the past couple of days. I have also passed it along to a few of my more conservative white friends. I am a 68 year old ‘privileged white male’ through no fault of my own, but I have recently come to realize that I am one
And thanks to a friend of mine from my years in a Western Pennsylvania Catholic grade school, I was inspired to read an outstanding book, WHITE FRAGILITY. This really helped me to understand the depths of the naivety of white people when it comes to white people as applied to our own culture and our lack of understanding of the (sometimes) unintentional harm we do to people of color.
However, your article was a real eye opener for me! Thank you. Until I read it, I was of the opinion that protesting was fine, but destroying property was awful and deserved to be punished. You have helped me to see this in a whole new way. While I still have compassion for the victims of the property damaged in riots, of course, I can see that the level of violence that is occurring in our society today may be being caused by the slow pace of the progress since… the Civil War?… MLK?…. President Obama?
I am not sure what it will take, but I have come to realize that it is endemic that it is up to each and every white person as well as the organizations and governments that we have to encourage and even demand that people of color be included everywhere… even next door.
I think you should submit a version of that article or something like it to every newspaper and online source that will take it. I would like to post it on FaceBook and Linked In, if that is okay. I have never done that sort of this with a publish article, so I don’t know if they will accept, but…
Thanks for enlightening me.
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing. I’m glad it had such a positive effect. ☮
LikeLike
Do I have your permission to post it?
LikeLike
Well, it’s an SF Weekly article, so you’d need permission from them to officially republish or reprint it.
But you don’t need permission to post the official SF Weekly link, so you can share that as many places as you like.
LikeLike
Richard III and Scarface…hmmmmm
LikeLike
Thank you for doing what you do, Mr. Lewis. Everything is everything; great song.
LikeLike
Hi, Thank you for your opinion piece in the Chronicle today. Most refreshing!
🙂
LikeLike
“How do cops expect the us to believe they care about our safety when the “. Proofread more. Write less. You are one weird out of touch it.
LikeLike
Speak up, ❄. It’s hard to tell what your cry-baby MAGA ass is 😢 about when you just retype random words. Then again, you morons would rather inject bleach than and use horse paste rather than get a quick 💉, so I shouldn’t expect intelligence from you lot.
Ta, troll. 🖕🏿
LikeLike
Thank you for your awesome article deconstructing Breed and Pride in 48 Hills today (6/13/22). she needs to go.
LikeLike
I just wanted to echo Lisa Cohn above and say that I also found your editorial in 48hills today to be excellent. I wrote a letter to the editor in the Bay Area Reporter on the subject a couple weeks ago myself, but 1) I seem to be one of only about 20 people who ever even sees their letters page, and 2) My letter wasn’t nearly as detailed or as biting as your editorial.
I was feeling pretty demoralized about local politics after the Chesa Boudin recall vote last week. I’m feeling a bit better now that the margin has narrowed to under 10 points on a turnout that’s still under 50%. But we have a lot of work to do if we want to see this city return to progressive policies, after the damage that tech and real estate donations have been able to wreck on it over the past few years.
Anyway, I also won’t be at Pride, but I will be at the People’s March on Polk Street earlier in the day. If you see a 30-something bearded guy who uses forearm crutches, that’s me. Hope to see you there.
LikeLike
Charles,
Thank you for your great article “I just caught COVID—right before essential safety measures expire”. I was going to comment on the 48 Hills FB page but this is more direct/presumably less public.
On the surface, you and I have so little in common. But you speak for me–and many others.
I am so sorry you got it–hoping it’s mild with no lingering effects. Pls email me if you want some of those instant tests I’ve accumulated.
Sincerely,
BB
LikeLike